No, these aren't natural disasters, craters from a huge meteorite, or the burrows of some massive worm from space. These are mines, created by the Soviet Union to harness the awesome natural resources of Russia and Eastern Europe. But they look like a glimpse of Hell itself.

The Kirovsky apatite mine in Hibiny, Kola Peninsula, Russia

The Kuznetsk Basin, Western Siberia, Russia, one of the largest coal mining areas in the world, with dozens of opencast mines

The kimberlite pipe Mir (means Peace) in Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia, a diamond mine opened in 1955. Its 1722 ft (525 m) deep quarry is one of the largest in the world, and the airspace above it is closed for helicopters because it could suck them with its downward air flow.